


The Fearless Pirate

by Small_Hobbit



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:02:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7066282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abe is looking for Henry, and when the only clue to his whereabouts is a map of a treasure island, Lucas offers to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fearless Pirate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reeby10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/gifts).



Lucas Wahl looked up.  He’d been in the middle of drawing the pattern of lacerations on their latest body, and he hadn’t expected anyone to arrive.  He knew Henry had headed off after a mystery object, having muttered, “I’m sure I’ve seen this somewhere else”, and departed before Lucas could ask him where he was going.

Lucas was therefore surprised to see Abe Morgan standing in the doorway.  Lucas straightened up, and pulled a sheet over the corpse, glad to have an excuse to take a break.

“Hi, Abe,” he said.  “I’m afraid Dr Morgan’s not here at the moment.  I can give him a message when he gets back, if you like.”

“You don’t know where he’s gone, do you?  There’s something I need to tell him quite urgently, and he seems to have forgotten his mobile again.”

Lucas laughed.  “He forgets his mobile more often than he remembers it.  I don’t know how he manages; everyone else relies on their phone.  I suppose he’s used to it.”

“Oh, yes,” Abe nodded.  “He’s had plenty of practice at that over the years.”

Lucas walked towards Henry’s desk.  “It’s possible he’s made a note.  I’ll go and check for you.”

He looked at the few pieces of paper which were on the desk.  “There’s this,” he said, holding up a drawing.  “It looks a bit like a map, but it’s more the sort you’d find in a kid’s books of pirate stories.  I used to love them.  I spent ages poring over them, trying to decide if the treasure was buried under the palm tree or by the waterfall.”

Lucas passed the map over to Abe who looked at it carefully.

“Oh!” he said.  “I know what this is.  I’ve seen it before.  A map very similar to this came with an invitation to the opening of a new gallery.”

“Did you go?” Lucas asked.

“No, I wasn’t interested.  Most of the pieces they plan to sell are too modern for me.  And definitely too expensive.”  Abe paused.  “Come to think of it, the opening must have been last night.  Maybe I should take a look.”

Abe started to make for the outside door, but Lucas called out to him.  “You think Henry’s gone there, don’t you?”

“It’s possible.”

“If he has, it might be dangerous.  Do you think you should go?”

“Well, you could come with me.”

Lucas grinned.  “You’re on.  I’m not going to miss the chance to visit somewhere with a real live treasure map.”

***

The entrance to the gallery was impressive; it had clearly been completely revamped.  The floor looked like sand-coloured marble, with a shallow pool in the middle, which took up over a quarter of the floor space.  To one side stood a palm tree, so realistic both Lucas and Abe had to touch it to confirm it was in fact artificial.  The only thing which detracted from the impression of a desert island was the air-con, which made the air feel quite cold.

At the far side of the entrance hall were two sets of stairs which led downwards.  One side was labelled “Pirate Cove” and the other “Skeleton Swamp”.

“Which one do you want to try?” Abe asked.

“If it’s a question of a dead body,” Lucas replied “Skeleton Swamp sounds the more likely.  But whichever one we choose, we go together.  First rule of exploring a treasure island: it’s easier to pick people off if they separate.

“Skeleton Swamp it is then,” Abe said.  “Lead on!”

They made their way down the first flight of stairs.  This soon came to an end and the second flight took them directly beneath the first.  As soon as they were out of sight of the entrance hall they found it was very dark, the only lights being emergency lighting similar to that found in a movie theatre.  Lucas made Abe wait while their eyes became accustomed to the limited light available.  He suspected Abe realised how thoroughly he was enjoying his role as a pirate searching for buried treasure.

After another two flights of stairs they found themselves in what had to be Skeleton Swamp.  It was still dark down there and when Abe put his hand on the wall it felt damp.  They were about to start exploring the Swamp when they heard voices and stopped abruptly.  Whoever was coming in sounded angry, rather than using the pleasant tones of assistants keen to sell their goods.

“Quick,” Lucas said. “In here!”

He and Abe squashed themselves into a closet.  A shaft of light from the flashlight one of the new arrivals was carrying showed two plastic skeletons hanging in the front of the closet.  They hid behind them and Lucas pulled the door closed.  The closet wasn’t particularly substantial, so they could still hear what was happening.

They listened as someone said, “What are we going to do with him?”

“Dunno,” the second replied.  “But he knew too much.  Boss reckoned he was asking too many questions too close to the mark.  Anyway we haven’t got time to do anything now, Boss wants us back upstairs.”

Abe and Lucas listened to two sets of retreating footsteps and then Lucas cautiously opened the closed door.  They could just make out a body, which had been left on the floor.  The body groaned.

Lucas knelt down.  “Dr Morgan, are you all right?”

Henry moaned and Lucas felt round until he could release the gag.

Once he could speak Henry said, “What are you doing here?  You need to leave at once.”

“Not without you,” Abe said.

“Abe?” Henry queried.  “The two of you are in danger.”

“A real pirate adventure,” Lucas said cheerfully, as he struggled to undo Henry’s wrists and ankles.

They helped Henry to his feet.

“Which stairs do we take?” Lucas asked.

They started to head for the ones they had come down, but when they heard Henry’s captors’ voices from further up they changed their minds, and began to ascend the further staircase.

“Pirate Cove here we come,” Lucas said.

“Lucas, you appear to be enjoying this far more than is reasonable,” Henry said.

“It’s probably fortunate for you he is,” Abe muttered.

This set of stairs brought them into a gallery which was displaying what could easily be described as pirate’s hoard.  Abe glanced at the gold and silver items.  He had been expecting fakes, purely for ornamental purposes, but these looked genuine.  He was longing to pick them up and examine them, but Lucas hurried him past with a whispered, “Don’t let the sight of the wealth trap you.”

They made their way across the room, seeking to blend in with the customers who were already there.  They were three-quarters of the way to the second set of stairs, which would lead to the entrance hall, when someone spotted Henry and raised the alarm.

Instantly Lucas grabbed a cutlass and shouted, “Advance if you dare!”

A woman shrieked and Abe and Henry took advantage of the distraction to hurry up the remaining stairs.  Lucas soon realised four men were closing in on him, so he threw the cutlass at the nearest and raced up the stairs too.  He sprinted round the ornamental pool and out through the main door, to find Abe had waved down a cab.  All three bundled into it.

“Not quite a ship of the high seas,” Lucas said, “but a timely escape nevertheless.”

***

Later, after the authorities had been informed, and the apparent hoard had been linked to an international smuggling ring, Abe asked Henry what had happened.

“There were a couple of rough sketches in our corpse’s pockets.  I thought I recognised them, so went to the gallery and started asking questions.  Someone there must have been very jumpy, because the next thing I knew I was being backed into a corner by an angry man who began asking me the questions and a little later I was tied up and left in the cellar, where you found me.  I still don’t understand why you were there though.”

“Lucas said Skeleton Swamp would be the best place to start,” Abe replied.  “So that’s what we were doing.”

“Oh yes, Lucas.  How much do you think I’m going to need to tell him?”

“I doubt he’ll be bothered.  He’s just happy to have taken part in a real live pirate adventure.  One with genuine stolen treasure.”

 


End file.
